Off-Campus Living

Students walking near park

As the largest urban area on Cape Breton and the island’s historical capital, Sydney is the perfect mix of metropolitan charm and down home hospitality. As with many Nova Scotian communities on the ocean, the heart of Sydney is its waterfront. On a warm, summer evening it’s a great place to go for a walk, stop to watch a busker and to watch ships in the harbour. Along the way, be sure to get your photo taken beside the world’s largest fiddle, built in recognition of Cape Breton’s musical talent.

Secure housing plays a vital role in your student experience. It is very important that students do not travel to Canada before securing proper accommodations. Like most of Canada, affordable housing is a serious issue in Cape Breton. Housing in the area is limited and students should begin their search early.  We continue to advocate for affordable housing solutions, including pushing for Federal support of the proposed Tartan Downs Project, which would see various housing options built within the CBRM.

Students should budget $1000 per month for housing and associated costs.

Below, find a searchable database for students looking for off-campus accommodations as well FAQs about off-campus accommodations.

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1 Bedroom in House - 66 Maple St., Scotchtown $600

66 Maple St., Scotchtown

1 Bedroom in owner’s home,  66 Maple Street, Scotchtown  1 female student only. Heat, lights, water, internet & Netflix. Double…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House - 98 Spruce St., Sydney $600

98 Spruce St., Sydney

1 Bedroom available in 3 Bedroom rental – 98 Spruce St., Sydney Fully furnished bedroom, shared washroom and kitchen facilities.…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House, 19 Fraser Street, Glace Bay $630

19 Fraser Street, Glace Bay

1 fully furnished bedroom located in the landlords house, available to rent to 1 tenant beginning January 1, 2025. This…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available January 1st
  • Type: Apartment
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House, 268 Douglas Avenue, Glace Bay $625

268 Douglas Avenue, Glace Bay

1 bedroom available to rent immediately to a mature, female tenant. This bedroom is located in the landlords home and…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Lease
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Private Room- 101 Bentinck St., Sydney $525

101 Bentinck St., Sydney

1 ROOM 203 – 101 BENTINCK STREET, Sydney Fully furnished room with attached washroom, shared living area. All utilities included:…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Fixed Term Lease
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Shared Bedroom in House, 18 Sixth Street, Glace Bay $600

18 Sixth Street, Glace Bay

1 fully furnished bedroom available to rent immediately to female tenant. These tenants will share common living spaces with other…

2 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedrooms
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Cable
View Listing

1 Single bedroom, 850 George Street, Sydney $475

850 George Street, Sydney

1 shared bedroom available to rent immediately. All utilities are included in tenants rent, with access to WIFI. Monthly Professional…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedrooms
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

2 Bedrooms in House, Carmichael Drive, Sydney River $750

105 Carmichael Drive, Sydney River

There are two fully furnished bedroom available to rent immediately. This house is located in a very quiet and safe…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available January 1st
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Fully Furnished
  • Rent Period: Lease
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

2 Bedrooms, 210 Union Street, Sydney $475

210 Union Street, Sydney

Shared Male bedroom, available to immediately. Single Room, available immediately. All utilities are included in tenants rent, which also includes…

2 bedrooms
  • Category: Bed
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Shared Bedroom, 218 Park Street, Sydney $850

218 Park Street, Sydney

2 beds available in a fully furnished, shared bedroom. This bedroom is located in a duplex near downtown Sydney. All…

2 bedrooms
1 bathrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Single Room, 37 Campbell Street, Sydney $600

37 Campbell Street. Sydney

Room # 3 Located in Downtown Sydney. This house has 12 rooms and 4 shared bathrooms. Single occupant only not…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: 2 Bedrooms
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Off-Campus Accommodations FAQs

The Off-Campus Housing Coordinator works to connect students to landlords and vice-versa via the Off-Campus Accommodation Listing which is a free resource for the community. The coordinator ensures a smooth operation of this free resource that can be used by newcomers as well as property owners/managers in the community.

Students are most welcome to reach out to the coordinator but depending on the email traffic, you may or may not hear back in time and rental listings can get sold out quickly. Hence, students are encouraged to follow the contact instructions on the listing to secure it.

Students are encouraged to reach out to the listing’s point of contact directly and be mindful that the property owners/managers do not work for CBU and will answer on their own accord.

Rental/Property listings take place approximately 2 months prior to an intake. If you start searching too early or too late in relation to your intake, you may not find the right option for you. Starting your search early is definitely the key and we encourage future students to use this resource as early in their journey as possible.

 The prices displayed on listings can vary since some of them are room leases, some apartments and some are for houses. The pricing may seem high because it is for a whole house that can be leased.

Listings posted on third-party platforms and social media websites can be fake/scams and it is very important to be mindful of the same. The Off-Campus living page is maintained and updated by the Off-Campus housing coordinator and not through user-generated content.

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